Android 8
"It's your turn to suffer!" -"The Fall of Muscle Tower" Android 8 is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise. He makes his debut in "Mysterious Android No. 8", the 39th episode of the ''Dragon Ball'' anime, which premiered on November 19, 1986. He makes his first manga appearance in "Mechanical Man No. 8", the 63rd chapter of the ''Dragon Ball'' manga, issued on March 10, 1987. Dr. Gero's eighth creation, Android 8 was designed to serve the Red Ribbon Army, but was seen as faulty because of his well-spirited nature. He bears heavy resemblance to Frankenstein's monster. As Gero was not introduced to the series until five years later in Dragon Ball Z, a filler episode of the Dragon Ball anime established that the scientist Dr. Flappe was the inventor of Android 8. The fact that Flappe does not appear in Akira Toriyama's manga work, nor is he mentioned as the creator of any android models in Dragon Ball Z, coupled with the fact that Toriyama was in fact involved in the production of anime filler material, makes it difficult to identify exactly who designed Android 8. To compromise for this, there have been suggestions that both Gero and Flappe created Android 8 as a joint effort. Another possibility is that Android 8 came from a totally different line of Red Ribbon Androids, and so would not have been included. Android 17 asserts during the Androids Saga of Dragon Ball Z that Dr. Gero destroyed the first fifteen Androids he designed, however this disturbs the canonicity of both the mainstream series (as Android 8 makes cameo appearances throughout both Z'' and ''Dragon Ball GT) and Super Android 13!, which features Androids 13, 14 and 15 as its lead villains and provides an original explanation that Dr. Gero was murdered by Android 17 and 18 prior to personally completing 13 through 15 (leaving an underground supercomputer to finish the models posthumously). Biography Android 8 is introduced by Ninja Murasaki, who intends to use him against Goku, however 8 refuses to battle the child. When Murasaki threatens to detonate 8 via remote control, Goku knocks the trigger out of his hand and knocks out Ninja Murasaki. Goku nicknames Android 8 "Eighter" (Hat-chan), and he becomes Goku's friend. When General White threatens the android with an ultimatum to either kill Goku or the village chief will be shot, Goku decides to stop the torment by turning his back so that White may shoot him unopposed. An enraged Android 8 punches White out Muscle Tower, killing him and causing the tower to be brought down. After eliminating the Red Ribbon Army contingent in Jingle Village, 8 reveals that he discovered the Dragon Ball that the army was looking for and hid it, knowing that they intended to kill the villagers once it was found. Hearing this, the head of the village invites 8 to live among them. Android 8 is seen again during the King Piccolo Saga of Dragon Ball, when he goes to rescue Suno after falling victim to King Piccolo's assault on Chow Castle, after which he attempts to restore order to the city. Android 8's appearance in "Lost and Found" was his last in the Dragon Ball anime. Android 8 makes cameo appearances throughout Dragon Ball Z, the most prominent being during the Kid Buu Saga, when Goku is forming a Spirit Bomb and 8, along with his fellow villagers, supplies Goku with his energy to use against Kid Buu. The fact that he is alive at this time proves that artificial life can be revived by the Dragon Balls, as he appears to have been revived along with Earth's inhabitants after the planet's destruction by Buu. Android 8 is also briefly seen in Dragon Ball GT, when Goku and the others are transporting Earthlings off of the planet before its destruction. Other appearances Android 8 appears in the ''Dragon Ball'' film adaptation The Path to Power, the 10th anniversary retelling of the early Dragon Ball story. He also makes his first playable appearance in a ''Dragon Ball'' video game spin-off in Budokai Tenkaichi 3. Techniques and abilities *Eighter's Anger (八憤, Hachiikidooru) - Android 8 releases a massive fiery wave of energy similar to Super Explosive Wave. This attack is named in Budokai Tenkaichi 3. *You Hurt Goku! - Android 8's ultimate attack in Budokai Tenkaichi 3. Android 8 attack's the opponent with a punch that sends them propelling. He then repeatedly uses his back and front hand side to hit his opponent. He then finishes them off with a massive punch that sends them flying. This move was likely inspired by the punch he used to kill general white. *Eighter attack- Android 8 zooms through the air out into the distance with his arm out like Superman and flies into the opponent. The name comes from Budokai Tenkaichi 3. *Android bomb- Since most Androids got a built in bomb, it's likely that Android 8 also got, giving him the ability to self-destruct. Voice actors * Japanese dub: Shozo Iizuka * Funimation dub: Mike McFarland * Latin American dub: Ricardo Hill (Dragon Ball) and Arturo Mercado (Dragon Ball Z) Trivia In the manga, Goku calls Android 8, 8-man. Category:Dragon Ball characters Category:Anime and manga characters with superhuman strength Category:Anime and manga characters who can move at superhuman speeds Category:Anime and manga martial artists Category:Robot superheroes Category:Fictional cyborgs Category:Fictional henchmen Category:1986 comics characters debuts